The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has discovered P150 million worth of agricultural products suspected to be smuggled, in its series of inspections on six warehouses across Metro Manila.
In a statement, the BOC said the six warehouses subjected to the inspections were located in Caloocan, Manila and Navotas, with the Navotas warehouse found to be empty but being constructed purposely as a cold storage facility.
“Right now, our team is a well-oiled machine running after these smuggling groups. The operations yesterday showed how our officers work day and night to make sure these products will not make it to our local markets,” Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio said.
The BOC said some of these products include frozen meat and fresh fruits.
The owners of the goods will be required to present importation documents or proof of payment, the agency added.
If proper documents are not presented, seizure and forfeiture proceedings will be conducted against the shipments for violation of Section 1400 (misdeclaration in goods declaration) in relation to Section 1113 (property subject to seizure and forfeiture) of Republic Act No. 10863, or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.
The BOC has temporarily padlocked and sealed the warehouses, including the empty storage facility.
“The BOC is sending a clear message to these groups that we will never tire in our efforts to prevent these products from entering our local markets. We commend our officers for their commitment to our mandate,” Juvymax Uy, customs deputy commissioner, said. – Angela Celis
